[navy] Digest (12/01/2001 18:01) (#2001-57)

[Veterans News & Information Service]

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(#2001-57) - Topics This Issue:

1) NavNews 90/01 - 91/01

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Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 13:22:26 -0800

Subject: NavNews 90/01 - 91/01

NAVAL MEDIA CENTER NavNews by e-mail:
NavNews (NNS) is the official newsletter of the U.S. Navy,
and is a product of the Naval Media Center, 2713 Mitscher Rd.
SW, Anacostia Annex, D.C., 20373-5819. Reprints should be
credited to NNS.
Submit news content to mailto:pu...@mediacen.navy.mil.
Contact the NavNews editor, Mr. Jerome Mapp, at
mailto:ma...@mediacen.navy.mil or Lt. Brook DeWalt at DSN 288-
4380, (202) 433-4380 or mailto:dew...@mediacen.navy.mil for
further NavNews information.
For all other Navy information-related questions, call the
Navy News Desk at (703) 692-6704/5/6/7.
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Table of contents for NavNews 90/01 - 91/01
NNS9001. Center for Career Development Reaches Out to Future
Command Leaders with Training Aimed at Improving Retention
NNS9002. Beneficial Suggestion Saves Cash; Pays Big Bucks
NNS9003. Smokers Try to Quit for a Day -- and a Life
NNS9004. "Behind Enemy Lines" Showcases NAS North Island
NNS9101. Who's Doing What, and How They Get Caught:
A Look at Drug Use and Testing Within the Military
NNS9102. University-Level Training Offered to PHs/JOs in Still or Motion Media
NNS9103. Naval Station Mayport, USS Hue City Welcome New York Fire Department
NNS9104. Keep Your Eating on Track During the Holidays
NNS9105. This Week on Navy/Marine Corps News
NNS9106. This Week in Naval History
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NNS9001. Center for Career Development Reaches Out to Future
Command Leaders with Training Aimed at Improving Retention
By CCD Public Affairs
NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) -- After meeting with more than
20,000 officers, Sailors and their spouses worldwide over the
past year and a half, the Center for Career Development (CCD)
expanded its reach to future leaders at the Command
Leadership School (CLS).
In support of the CNO's goal of personalized leadership,
Capt. Ed Rogers, CLS director, offered CCD an opportunity to
meet all prospective commanding officers and executive
officers, and deliver a series of lectures and presentations
centered on helping them better focus their efforts on
improving Sailors' quality of service.
Rogers summed it up stating, "One of Adm. Clark's top
priorities is leadership. CLS is the only place in the Navy
where every CO and XO is trained -- we are the Navy's `pivot
point.' Our new partnership with CCD ensures that our future
Navy leadership is provided with retention and people tools
from true experts. We will remain out front in this battle
for people. CLS and CCD together is a force multiplier in
executing the CNO's message."
Capt. Jake Ross, CCD director, added, "Great leaders win
wars. They inspire, or motivate, people to do extraordinary
things at extraordinary times, which is a crucial factor in
our people's choice to stay Navy."
Ross continued, "Leaders are mentors -- inspiring people
to be the best at whatever they want to achieve. Leaders
drive the train of success at a command. For this reason, we
felt that we could support the CNO's philosophy of
personalized leadership by focusing our efforts at the
command leadership training pipeline."
With this difference in target audience, CCD hopes to see
improved leadership filter down through the ranks, improving
retention as a result.
"We provide PCOs/PXOs (prospective commanding
officers/prospective executive officers) a checklist for
success in establishing a positive working climate," said
Ross.
CCD also aims to educate military spouses in an effort to
provide them with as much information to make decisions as
the service members themselves.
In the second visit to the leadership school, CCD
unveiled the new retention best practices presentation.
Critiques showed that all attendees felt the material
presented was extremely valuable and encourage CCD to
continue the practice of briefing future classes. CCD will
deliver 20 additional presentations this fiscal year to
prospective commanding and executive officers at CLS.
CCD also provides enhanced professional training for
career counselors and command retention teams. The center
offers professional selling skills (PSS) training for Navy
career counselors, PCOs, PXOs, PCMCs (prospective command
master chiefs) and detailers responsible for non-SRB ratings.
In addition, CCD will be traveling the globe for the
second year in a row to conduct career decision workshops for
Sailors and their families.
The workshops, presented by Ruehlin Associates, a private
research company based in San Diego, provide an unbiased
review of the pros and cons of careers in the Navy and in the
private sector. In addition, Navy Personnel Command detailers
travel with CCD to meet one on one with Sailors to discuss
their professional goals and choices for future assignments.
Sailors and their spouses are encouraged to attend career
decision fairs to ensure they have all the information they
need to make informed career choices.
Since its establishment, the center has visited more than
50 commands and provided career decision workshops for more
than 20,000 Sailors and their families.
As CCD moves into its second year, it will continue to
emphasize the importance of people and improve the quality of
service for Sailors throughout the Navy.
Find out more about CCD at http://www.staynavy.navy.mil
or call CCD public affairs at (901) 874-2200.
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NNS9002. Beneficial Suggestion Saves Cash; Pays Big Bucks
By Journalist 1st Class Rick Collins, USS George Washington
Public Affairs
NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- All Chief Machinist's Mate (SW)
Jefferey Baisley was trying to do was provide his Sailors
with a better tool for cleaning air conditioning coils. The
tool that Baisley found did the job so well and was such a
good idea, that he was rewarded with a check for $1,000.
About five months ago, Baisley headed up USS George
Washington's (CVN 73) vent team during a five-month planned
incremental availability (PIA). While supervising his team,
he noticed that a piece of equipment designed to remove
built-up dirt from the coils wasn't working.
"I really didn't think the tool listed on the maintenance
effectiveness review sheet was doing the job I thought it
should be doing as far as cleaning deep into the coils," the
43-year-old chief said.
The tool he had doubts about was a pneumatic air gun.
Baisley said the built-up dirt must be removed to allow
effective heat transfer to the air moving over the coils from
the cold water inside them.
The air gun uses a pressurized mixture of air and water
to clean the coils, but the job was taking longer than he
thought necessary. Baisley decided he would find another tool
that would do the job better.
"You can use substitute tools. I found another air gun I
thought would do the job -- brought it in and tried it. It
did a really good job cleaning the coil," Baisley said. The
difference between the two guns' performance, he said, was
"like night and day."
Word of this new tool's results, which cut the cleaning
time in half, spread quickly through Baisley's chain of
command.
"The division officer came and looked at it and took it
to the navigator, who was running PIA at the time," Baisley
said. "From there, they said, `It's a great idea, why don't
you put a beneficial suggestion in on it?' I wrote it up and
submitted it."
The Navy Beneficial Suggestion Program has been around
for years. It rewards Sailors for discovering or inventing
more cost effective tools or methods. The suggestions are
submitted to the command's program coordinator.
There are two major parts to a beneficial suggestion. An
endorsement from the author describing what the idea is and
how the author feels the idea would benefit the Navy, and an
endorsement from a technical representative.
"Chief Baisley prepared the write up and a picture of the
tool," said Lt. Cmdr. Scott Goodwin, George Washington's
Beneficial Suggestion Program coordinator. "That was sent to
an on-board subject matter expert for an endorsement. From
there it went to Naval Air Forces, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
(AIRLANT)."
Goodwin explained that when Baisley's suggestion made it
through "GW" and AIRLANT reviews, the type commander's
program coordinator calculated the reward. He said a special
chart is used to compare the value of the product to the
value of the award.
Goodwin, who is also the carrier's assistant supply
officer, said that anyone who wants to submit a beneficial
suggestion should do their homework on the piece of equipment
or process first, then find a subject matter expert who will
review their idea and support it in writing. He added that
anyone interested should start the process by coming to see
him for the required forms.
Baisley's suggestion netted him a total of $720 after
taxes from AIRLANT, but that could be just the beginning.
Goodwin said the Navy would track other Navy commands
adopting Baisley's suggestion. As they compute their savings,
another check could be sent to Baisley.
"Everybody has a similar requirement for cleaning filters
and coils," Goodwin said.
As an example of how this could grow, Goodwin said a
Sailor aboard another aircraft carrier received $25,000 for
suggesting that aircraft tow tractor tires be replaced with
those used on the front landing gear of the F-14 Tomcat.
That ship's aviation intermediate maintenance department
was replacing the tractor tire at a high rate.
The Sailor's idea was that, since Tomcat tires are the
same size, and could withstand more abuse, they would hold up
longer on the tractors. The suggestion was adopted fleet-
wide.
Besides the cash, Baisley's suggestion also earned him
accolades from his commanding officer, Capt. William J.
McCarthy.
"There are a lot of folks with good ideas on `company
time,' but to go out and pursue it on your own time -- it's
above and beyond, and that really made the difference,"
McCarthy said.
"I sure didn't expect this," said Baisley of his
windfall. "I certainly didn't start all this anticipating I'd
be making any money."
But the chief has no qualms about accepting it either.
Whatever he gets for his suggestion, he said he'll be putting
it toward building his new house. "It'll come in useful."
For more information on USS George Washington, go to
http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/CVN73.htm.
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NNS9003. Smokers Try to Quit for a Day -- and a Life
By Journalist 3rd Class Jodi Durie, Naval Medical Center
Portsmouth Public Affairs
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- A person who chooses to smoke
also makes the choice to put themselves and their loved ones
at risk for a number of diseases and illnesses.
Despite what most people may think, lung cancer isn't the
only type of cancer to which smokers and their families are
susceptible.
"Too many people think it's just lung cancer, but they
are at risk for many other types of cancer as well. There's a
95-percent chance a smoker will get some type of cancer,"
said Elaine Nestell, a community health programs specialist
with Naval Medical Center Portsmouth's (NMCP) health
promotions department.
Tobacco use can cause lung, mouth, voice box and breast
cancers; heart disease; chronic bronchitis; prematurity;
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); emphysema and stroke,
according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Each year
smoking is responsible for one out of five deaths, according
to the ACS.
Because tobacco use is such a serious issue and smoking
is the most preventable cause of death in our society, for 25
years the "Great American Smokeout" has challenged smokers to
quit for one day; this year that day was Nov. 15.
"The Great American Smokeout helps people be more aware
of what tobacco can do to their bodies," said Alice
Fitzpatrick, one of NMCP's health educators.
So, how is quitting for just one day going to make a
difference? A number of changes begin to take place in the
body shortly after a person quits smoking.
Within 20 minutes after a smoker quits using tobacco,
their blood pressure drops to normal. Eight hours after
quitting, the carbon monoxide level in their blood returns to
normal. Twenty-four hours later, their chances of a heart
attack decreases.
Ten years after putting down that last cigarette, the
former smoker's lung cancer death rate is about half of a
smoker's.
Throughout the day of the smokeout, NMCP's health
promotions staff members, Hospitalman Akim Lekuti and Elaine
Nestell, were available to answer any questions and to assist
anyone interested in participating by either quitting
themselves or adopting a smoker.
A smokeout display, set up in front the health promotions
office, offered a variety of information on the risks of
tobacco use and how to quit. The display also offered a
survival kit, including a pencil, stress ball, a balloon and
gum," he added.
"The survival kit gives them alternatives to use
throughout the day. If they have the urge to smoke just blow
on the balloon, or draw. Find something to distract you or to
ease your stress," advised Lekuti, who has has never smoked.
"I didn't like the smell of it, and I promised my parents
I never would. I just never felt the urge to do it and didn't
want the diseases and lung cancer in my life," Lekuti added.
"When you're young you may not feel the affects of smoking,
but you will when you're older, because smoking blocks oxygen
so it can't get to your blood and your lungs."
Although the health promotions staff encourages smokers
and tobacco users to quit, they realize it isn't easy for
everyone. Health educator Alice Fitzpatrick advised smokers
who have tried to quit in the past to hang in there and be
patient.
"If they've quit before, they shouldn't give up. It often
takes seven to 10 tries before they will quit for good,"
Fitzpatrick explained.
For more information on tobacco cessation, contact a
healthcare provider or call the American Cancer Society at 1-
800-ACS-2345, or go to http://www.cancer.org. For information
on NMC Portsmouth, go to http://www-nmcp.med.navy.mil.
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NNS9004. "Behind Enemy Lines" Showcases NAS North Island
By Journalist 1st Class (SW) Scott Sutherland, Naval Station
San Diego Public Affairs
CORONADO, Calif. (NNS) -- The last time USS Nimitz (CVN
68) was associated with fantasy and razzle-dazzle was when it
was the featured aircraft carrier in the 1980 science fiction
movie "The Final Countdown," starring Kirk Douglas. Twenty-
one years later, Nimitz was again the center of Hollywood
attention, this time playing a lead role Nov. 17 in the world
premiere of "Behind Enemy Lines."
Nearly 1,500 Sailors and Marines, along with Hollywood
celebrities and executives, filled North Island Naval Air
Station's Lowery Theater to view the premiere.
McCain Road in front of the theater was awash with
lights, cameras and even a patriotic carpet. Before the
premiere, Nimitz's flight deck was converted as a set for a
news conference featuring the movie's producer, director and
some of the actors.
"I can't say enough about how happy we are to be here,"
said the movie's director John Moore, who made his
directorial debut with the movie. "`Behind Enemy Lines' was
directed by me, but it's the Navy's motion picture. It was
made by the Navy. The Marines and Sailors aboard USS Carl
Vinson (CVN 70), and the F/A-18 Hornet and F-14 Tomcat
pilots, all became our family during filming. It would have
been wrong to have this premiere anywhere but here."
A major portion of the movie was shot aboard the
Bremerton, Wash.-based aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and San
Diego's USS Constellation (CV 64) earlier this year when the
carriers were underway conducting training off the coast of
Southern California. It was the first feature film focusing
on the aircraft carrier-based Navy since the movies "Top Gun"
and "Flight of The Intruder" were released more than 10 years
ago.
The movie tells the story of a naval flight officer,
played by Owen Wilson, who is shot down over enemy territory,
and struggles to survive the relentless pursuit of a ruthless
secret police enforcer, a deadly tracker and countless
hostile troops. With time running out, the injured airman's
battle group commander, played by Gene Hackman, goes against
orders to carry out a desperate rescue mission.
Wilson, who plays Navy Lt. Chris Burnett in the movie,
arrived at the premiere in an F/A-18 Super Hornet piloted by
Navy Cmdr. Greg Sears from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron
(VX) 9. They received a rousing round of applause from the
spectators as they stepped to the tarmac at North Island's
air terminal.
"This beats a limousine ride," Wilson said.
Actor Charles Malik Whitfield, who plays a Marine in the
movie, said the Navy and Marine's support before, during and
after the movie was finished, was "huge."
"I've never been an enlisted man, and I didn't want to
represent someone and not know what it feels like to be a
Marine," Whitfield said. "Playing a Marine captain, I didn't
know what it meant being responsible for 60 or 70 other
lives. So, I went to Camp Pendleton to train with the guys
there. After the second day there, I realized that as a
civilian, I take so much for granted. The dedication and
compassion those guys have is enormous."
Tom Rothman, co-chairman of 20th Century Fox, told the
Lowery audience that the first to see the movie "should be
the men and women who inspired it and made its creation
possible."
"Most of the movie was filmed before Sept. 11, so it
should elicit a strong response from the audience."
Rothman said "Behind Enemy Lines" will next be shown to
the men and women aboard Carl Vinson, currently deployed
overseas.
The movie opens for general public viewing in theaters
Nov. 30.
For more information on NAS North Island, go to
http://www.nasni.navy.mil.
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NNS9101. Who's Doing What, and How They Get Caught: A Look at
Drug Use and Testing Within the Military
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Kathleen T. Rhem, American Forces Press
Service
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- If you had visited a typical military
unit in 1983, about one out of every four service members would
have used illegal drugs.
If you had visited the same unit in 1998, about three out of
100 service members admitted to using drugs.
Between 1983 and 1998, the fraction of service members
admitting to frequent drug use dropped from 23 percent to 2.7
percent. Officials say there are many reasons for the drop.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is attacking the problem on
the two fronts of supply and demand. Education and deterrence
are the key aspects of reducing demand for illegal drugs, Andre
Hollis, deputy assistant secretary of defense for
counternarcotics, said.
Generally, Hollis explained, the services don't take
everyone to court for illegal drug use, but most members are not
allowed to remain on active duty. "That creates, I think, a
strong deterrent to violating the rules," he said.
Hollis described educating troops on the dangers and
consequences of illegal drug use as the duty of military
leaders. "We as leaders must be responsible for the health and
welfare of our soldiers, Sailors, airmen and Marines," he said.
DoD also works closely with the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) to halt the flow of illegal drugs into the
country. Hollis explained that DEA is responsible for
identifying sources of drug production; while DoD is responsible
for monitoring and detecting drug shipments.
The current war on terrorism has direct bearing on the
illegal drug trade as well, in ways that are of particular
concern to DoD. Afghanistan is one of the world's leading
suppliers of opium -- a drug further refined into morphine and
heroin.
Drugs that come out of Afghanistan are shipped primarily to
Europe, where American service members and American allies can
fall victim to drug abuse and associated violent crimes, Hollis
said.
"Perhaps more insidious, the pipeline that these
narcotraffickers use to ship their drugs and to sell their drugs
is also the pipeline that they use for financing terrorism and
arms sales, for smuggling illegal aliens, money for potentially
weapons of mass destruction, and for abusing women," Hollis
said. "It's a vile pipeline that's used for a variety of evil
purposes."
Increased use of the popular club drug commonly called
"ecstasy" is a disturbing trend in the military community as
well as among civilians. "Many people fail to realize...that
ecstasy is a dangerous drug," Hollis said. He cited studies that
show even infrequent use can cause serious impairment of
cognitive functions.
"That's particularly of concern within the armed forces,
where our young people are in charge of and responsible for
sophisticated pieces of equipment," he said.
Army Col. Mick Smith agreed. Smith is an expert on drug
testing in Hollis's office. "Military people have a dangerous
job," he said. "They operate heavy equipment and use complex
integrated computer systems."
Smith described a recent Johns Hopkins University study on
monkeys given typical doses of ecstasy for a three-day period.
"It would be comparable to someone bingeing over a weekend," he
said. Tests showed the animals had a significant depletion of
nerve cells that produce serotonin, the chemical in the brain
that makes us feel good, a year and a half later.
"There's very good evidence that even small amounts of
ecstasy can cause permanent brain damage," Smith said.
To combat this rising health concern, DoD is planning to use
more sensitive tests to detect ecstasy during routine urine
testing. Smith explained that active-duty service members must
undergo a urine drug test annually. Reserve component members
must be tested at least every two years, he said.
The new test for ecstasy will expand the "window of
detection," the amount of time after a drug is used that it can
still be detected in urine, Smith said. He said all six DoD
urine-testing laboratories should be using the new ecstasy test
within six months.
During 2000, roughly 1,000 service members tested positive
for ecstasy use and were removed from the military, Smith said.
Despite recent concerns over ecstasy use, marijuana remains
the most heavily used illegal drug within the military. And
marijuana isn't a "safe" drug either, Smith stressed. He cited a
Harvard University study that shows chronic users have memory
and learning deficits even after they stop using. "It does have
some long-term effects on the brain," Smith said.
DoD labs test 60,000 urine samples each month, but it would
be next to impossible for a mistaken positive result to affect a
service member's career. Smith described the steps taken after
troops "fill the bottle."
First, individuals initial the label on their own bottles.
The bottles are boxed into batches, and the test administrator
begins a chain-of-custody document for each batch, Smith
explained.
"This is a legal document," Smith said of the chain-of-
custody form. "Everybody who has had something to do with that
sample signs it -- whether it be the observer who watched the
person collect the sample, the person who puts it into the box
or the person who takes it out of the box. We have a written
record of who those individuals are."
The chain-of-custody requirement continues in the lab as
well. People who come in contact with each sample and what
exactly they do to the sample are written on the document, Smith
said.
Samples then undergo an initial immunoassay screening. Those
that test positive for the presence of drugs at this point
undergo the same screen once again. Finally, those that come up
positive during two screening tests are put through a much more
specific gas chromatography/mass spectrometry test. This test
can identify specific substances within the urine samples, he
said.
Even if a particular drug is detected, if the level is below
a certain threshold, the test result is reported back to the
commander as negative. "The system is really built to protect
the service member whose sample is coming through the
laboratory," Smith said.
DoD labs are equipped to test for marijuana, cocaine,
amphetamines, LSD, opiates (including morphine and heroin),
barbiturates and PCP. But not all samples are tested for all of
these drugs.
"Every sample gets tested for marijuana, cocaine and
amphetamines, including ecstasy," Smith said. Tests for other
drugs are done at random on different schedules for each lab.
"Some laboratories do test every sample for every drug," he
added.
Commanders can request samples be tested for steroids. In
this case, the samples are sent to the Olympic testing
laboratory at the University of California at Los Angeles, Smith
explained.
Inevitably, someone will try to "beat the test." But, Smith
said, common rumors that make the rounds on military bases won't
help you a bit.
He said commonly available substances such as golden seal
and lasix are often touted as magical substances that can mask
drugs in urine. In fact, they can make it easier to get caught.
Smith explained these substances are diuretics, so if they're
taken before giving a urine sample they flush chemicals out of
the body -- right into the collection cup.
Drugs are often more concentrated in the urine after a
service member takes one of these substances, Smith said.
And other "sure-fire" solutions are even worse for you.
"Some people drink vinegar. I've even heard a few stories of
people drinking bleach," Smith said. "I think they were probably
worse off after drinking bleach than if they had used drugs."
Smith also debunked some other common rumors. He said over-
the-counter cold medications and dietary supplements might cause
a screening test to come up positive, but that the more specific
secondary testing would positively identify the medication. "The
report that goes back to the commander says negative," he said.
The military services test for drug use and have adopted a
zero-tolerance policy on drug use among military members because
the stakes are so high. Drug use in a unit "interferes with
their ability to complete their mission," Smith said. "We don't
have time for that, particularly when we're fighting a war."
Hollis agreed. Readiness is critical right now, he said.
"Everybody must recognize that drug use does not help this
country or its cause," he said. "It's stupid; it affects your
health; it affects your career; and it affects the readiness of
your unit."
Hollis said he had a message for service members using drugs
or thinking about it: "Think about what this country has gone
through (since Sept. 11). Think about what we're undertaking in
terms of this armed conflict (in Afghanistan)," he said. "We
need you all to be alert, to be ready to go at a moment's
notice. We're calling on you to do a very important job, and we
need to know that you're responsible and alert so you can take
care of each other."
For additional information, contact your command drug and
alcohol program advisor or go to http://navdweb.spawar.navy.mil.
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NNS9102. University-Level Training Offered to PHs/JOs in Still
or Motion Media
By Journalist 3rd Class April Ball, Navy News Service
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Are you pretty hot with a still camera?
Thirsting for something beyond that grip-and-grin shot? Or
perhaps you're the video type, and you can't wait to lug your
Betacam into battle. Before you ship off to war, how about going
back to school to master some new skills?
The Navy is currently seeking applicants from photographer's
mates and journalists for university-level training in
photojournalism and motion media for 2002. For years, the
program has been held at Syracuse University's Newhouse School
of Public Communications, and the Armed Forces Information
Service is currently accepting bids for the next five-year
training cycle from Syracuse and other top journalism schools.
The military photojournalism program is not a technical
training school. It is an academic program with the goal of
turning military photographers into great photojournalists.
"Our job at the Newhouse School is to help you take the
skills you've developed in the military and to help you to
become an accomplished storyteller," said Dow Smith, director of
MPJ (military photojournalism). "What we provide are the tools
to go beyond just taking sound photographs or editing a story on
an Avid; we deal with different skills."
The year starts in August with an English/grammar refresher
course. Classes will be a mix of writing, photography and
critical thinking. The schedule is very, very intense. Students
work weekends and spend nights in the photography or computer
labs. There is little free time during the 10 months in the
program.
"Your assignment will be a difficult one," said Nancy
Austin, assistant director of the current MPJ program at
Syracuse University. "You will be taking five classes per
semester, all very demanding. Your professors believe their
class is the most important, so you will be totally immersed in
schoolwork. When you're not in the classroom you will be
shooting, editing or writing a paper."
"Syracuse teaches you to look behind your horizons and be
more creative, unlike most Navy schools that teach you the
technical side," said Photographer's Mate 1st Class Steve
Vanderwerff, a Syracuse graduate from the Motion Media
Specialist Program in 1996. Vanderwerff is now attached to Joint
Combat Camera Center at the Pentagon. "The program has taught me
to critique myself better and how to create a more professional
product. Syracuse raises the bar when it comes to the individual
pursuing their own professional and personal mission."
"The MPJ program taught me how to see things in a new way,"
said All Hands magazine's Journalist 1st Class Preston Keres,
this year's Department of Defense Military Photographer of the
Year. "Now, because of the training I received at Syracuse, I am
able to capture moments in my photos instead of taking just the
static, somewhat boring image, which allows me to communicate
better with the reader."
"Uniforms, put them away, government students dress like
ordinary undergrads while at SU," said Austin.
"Many past students tell me that their time in Syracuse made
a major difference for them professionally and personally and
remember their time here as a high point in their military
career," said Smith. "A few students have gone on to leadership
positions because when you complete this program you will be
considered among the best in your career field."
More information about this advanced training opportunity
can be found at http://www.mediacen.navy.mil/vi/advtrng.htm.
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NNS9103. Naval Station Mayport, USS Hue City Welcome New York
Fire Department
By Journalist 1st Class Christopher E. Tucker, Naval Station
Mayport Public Affairs
MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- Fourteen New York City firefighters
and family members from the New York City Fire Department were
recently treated to an all-expenses-paid vacation to
Jacksonville, Fla., where their first stop was a visit to the
naval station there.
The five-day vacation was sponsored by the Jacksonville
Convention and Visitors Bureau and many local businesses.
The firefighters were welcomed like family at the Naval
Station Mayport Fire and Emergency Services. Treated to a lunch
and tour of the firehouse, the New York firefighters shared
stories of the disaster site with their Naval Station Mayport
peers.
"I'm glad we could do this for them," said Naval Station
Mayport Fire and Emergency Services assistant fire chief Bruce
Grimes. "They were at ground zero. They told us stories about
how they worked 36 hours straight. These guys are definitely
heroes for what they've done."
After lunch, the Naval Station Mayport firehouse presented
the New York firemen with a commemorative quilt in the shape of
a flag, and depicting the now famous scene of the firemen at the
World Trade Center site raising the American flag. A Naval
Station Mayport fireman's wife made the quilt the night before
when she heard they were visiting.
"This is definitely overwhelming. It's nice to be pampered a
little bit after what we all went through," said New York Fire
Department Lt. Dennis Driscoll from Rescue 5, Staten Island. "I
don't think I've spent more than 24 hours with my family since
Sept. 11, and now I'm down here with my wife and my son for the
next five days. This is nice."
In addition to meeting Naval Station Mayport firemen, the
New York firefighters were given a tour of the guided missile
cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66). They saw everything from combat
systems and engineering, to a damage control locker where many
of the firefighters recognized the equipment.
"Coming here, knowing that we have to defend our country, I
feel proud to see this ship," said New York Fire Department Lt.
Jim Rallis from Ladder 11, Manhattan. "It's always an honor to
see how our military works and meet these Sailors, because
they're the heroes in this country. You guys defend us every
day."
"These guys are bona fide heroes," said USS Hue City
executive officer Cmdr. Stephen Evans. "It's great to see those
guys and tell them thanks for what they do, and show them what
we do on board Hue City."
Evans said that there was a certain kinship between Sailors
and firefighters because service to our nation is a common theme
in both lines of work.
New York Firefighter Richard Cannon from Ladder 11,
Manhattan, said he had a message for all U.S. military members.
"Keep your heads up. We kept our heads up in New York, showing
the terrorists that we're better then they are and they're not
going to break our spirits and our pride in the country. We're
here to stand by your side, just like you did for us in our time
of need."
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NNS9104. Keep Your Eating on Track During the Holidays
By Susan M. Koerner, Naval Forces Marianas Public Affairs
GUAM (NNS) -- From Halloween candy to Thanksgiving turkey
and Christmas cookies, many people feel it's inevitable they
will gain weight during the holidays.
The biggest belt-busters aren't the large sit-down dinners
on Thanksgiving or Christmas, as most people think, but the
never-ending parade of holiday appetizers and sweets.
Popular hors d'oeuvres like chips and dip and crab puffs are
laden with fat and calories. And most people can't partake of
all the cookies and candies that pile into the office and home
throughout the entire month of December without feeling their
clothes get tight.
"Don't use the holidays as an excuse to eat, or cheat on
your diet -- try to maintain regular eating," said Lt. Terri
Moraca, a clinical dietician and head of nutrition management at
U.S. Naval Hospital, Guam. "Make it more of a time to enjoy who
you are with."
A study published in "The New England Journal of Medicine"
in March offered yuletide revelers some good -- and some bad
news. The good news: Most people don't gain as much weight over
the holidays as they think. The average person gains only about
a pound during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's --
that's a fourth of what the study participants believed they had
gained.
Now for the bad news: That pound sticks around long after
the holidays, and a pound a year over 20 years can really add
up, according to the study's author, Dr. Jack Yanovski, an
obesity researcher at the National Institutes of Health.
"Most people gain that pound and have a heck of a time
getting rid of it," said Yanovski. "Most of us hate going on
diets and they usually backfire because we end up feeling
deprived."
The National Institutes of Health study also found that the
holidays posed an even greater challenge for people who were
already overweight. They were more likely to gain more than five
pounds, further increasing their health risks.
More than half of Americans are overweight or obese,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, heart diseases and other
various health problems.
The tradition of stuffing yourself with heaping platefuls of
high-fat foods may pose a more immediate risk than weight gain.
Research presented recently at the annual meeting of the
American Heart Association found heavy meals can be hard on the
heart. A person's chances of having a heart attack quadruple in
the two hours following a very big meal.
So how can you make it through all the festivities with
buttons intact? Moraca offers these tips for getting through the
feasting season:
- Imagine your plate is divided into four equal sections with a
different food group in each. "Don't cover your plate in just
starch."
- Use a smaller plate, and if you go back for seconds, make it
for vegetables and high fiber foods.
- Eat with your less dominate hand, it slows the pace. "Most
people don't realize it takes 20 minutes for your brain to
realize that you are full."
- Bring a lower calorie or low-fat dish to the company potluck
or family gathering, so you know you can eat it.
- Go for a walk in the evenings to help burn off the calories.
Moraca also recommends incorporating new foods into the
traditional menu. "It's good to try something new for the
holidays that incorporates lower calorie items," she said.
"There are lots of books out there specific to the diabetic
lifestyle, with recipes that are low in sugar and low in fat to
help keep the calories down."
Learning to substitute lower fat items, such as skim milk
for whole, and applesauce for cooking oil in baking recipes,
also helps to make recipes healthier.
Keeping healthy eating habits in mind is important year-
round. According to Moraca, a well-balanced diet that includes
all food groups, plenty of water, fiber and regular exercise is
the best recipe for good health.
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NNS9105. This Week on Navy/Marine Corps News
By Naval Media Center Staff
Look for the following stories and more on next week's
Navy/Marine Corps News show:
- The Secretary of Defense visits graduating recruits in Great
Lakes, Ill.;
- The Special Boat Unit Community gets a new warfare pin;
- Military families undergoing medical treatment find a place
of rest and comfort at the Fisher House;
- The Chief of Naval Operations gives thanks to Casualty
Assistance Calls Officers for their work in the wake of the
Sept. 11 attacks.
Compiled on tape #2001-49, the show is on its way to the
fleet now.
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NNS9106. This Week in Naval History:
- Dec. 3, 1775: Lt. John Paul Jones raises the Grand Union
flag, often referred to as the first Navy ensign, on the warship
Alfred. This is the first American flag raised over a
Continental warship. The flag contained 13 stripes and the
British Union Jack in the field.
- Dec. 4, 1950: Ensign Jesse L. Brown, the Navy's first
African-American pilot, is forced to make a crash landing near
Hagaru-Ri, North Korea, when his plane is hit by enemy ground
fire while flying a close-support mission from the carrier USS
Leyte (CV 32). Brown dies of his injuries and is posthumously
awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. A ship was later named
in his honor.
- Dec. 5, 1843: The steamer Michigan, the Navy's first iron-
hulled vessel, is launched at Erie, Pa., to patrol the Great
Lakes. She is also the Navy's first prefabricated ship, having
been built in Pittsburgh and transported to Erie for assembly.
- Dec. 6, 1964: The completion of the last of three salt-water
conversion plants makes the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, independent of outside water supply. The communist Cuban
government had cut off the flow of fresh water to the base. An
offer to have it restored was refused.
- Dec. 7, 1941: Japanese carrier aircraft attack the U.S.
Pacific Fleet based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing more than
2,000 service members and wounding more than 1,000. The surprise
attack enrages the American public, resulting in a declaration
of war against Japan.
- Dec. 8, 1933: The Secretary of the Navy establishes the Fleet
Marine Force, integrating a ready-to-deploy Marine force with
its own aircraft into the fleet organization.
- Dec. 9, 1938: The Navy's first operational shipboard radar,
the XAF, is installed aboard USS New York (BB 34). Designed and
built by the Naval Research Laboratory, the radar is able to
detect ships at 12 miles and aircraft at 85 miles.
Visit http://www.history.navy.mil for more information
about the Naval Historical Center and naval history.
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